Work-Life Balance – What

is it, how to achieve it, and

how to build it in your
 October 2016

workplace

© 2016 Willis Towers Watson. All rights reserved.

 2 Presentation agenda
 Work-life balance definitions and myths
 Business impact of stress
 Evaluating your stress level
 How to improve your work-life balance
 Creating a culture that supports work-life balance
 Work-life balance - What is it?
Meaningful daily achievement and enjoyment
in all aspects of the person’s life: Work, family,
friends and self

A vital factor in achieving a balance is making

sure that work does not overwhelm or
dominate; and also, that it does not cause
damage to the individual by way of negative
stress

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4 Work-life balance reality
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 6 Work-life balance myths
 Work-life balance is an oxymoron
 Work life balance means spending 50% of your time at work and
50% of your time at home
 Women want more work-life balance than men
 Work-life balance is synonymous with work-family balance
 7

Business impact of
stress
 8 Stress costs employers billons

Sources: The American Institute of Stress, HumanNature@Work, Towers Watson’s 2013/14 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey.
 9 Job conditions that may lead to
Design of Tasks stress Management Style Career Concerns
• Heavy workload, infrequent rest • Lack of participation by workers in • Job insecurity and lack of
breaks, long work hours and decision- making opportunity for growth,
shiftwork • Poor communication in the advancement, or promotion
• Hectic and routine tasks that have organization • Rapid changes for which workers are
little inherent meaning • Lack of family-friendly policies unprepared
• Do not utilize workers' skills
• Provide little sense of control

Work Roles Interpersonal Relationships Environment Conditions

• Conflicting or uncertain job • Poor social environment • Unpleasant or dangerous physical
expectations • Lack of support or help from conditions such as crowding, noise,
• Too much responsibility coworkers and supervisors air pollution, or ergonomic problems
• Too many "hats to wear“

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/default.html
 Stress is a top lifestyle risk
identified by employees of large
Top lifestyle risk factors

companies around the world

Stress
Lack of
physical
activity Obesity
Tobacco
use Presenteeism
Poor
nutrition
Substance
abuse
Asia
Pacific 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Europe 1 2 4 2 4 7 6

Brazil 1 2 3 7 6 5 4

Mexico 1 2 3 6 5 4 7

Canada 1 2 3 6 5 4 7

United
States 1 3 2 5 6 4 7

Source: 2013/14 Towers Watson Global Staying@Work Survey surveyed 22,347 employees of large companies in 12 countries (US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, UK, France,
Germany, Japan, Australia, China, India)

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
11 Stressed?
Holmes and Rahe stress scale - How many apply to you in the last year?

Score of 300+: At risk of illness.

Score of 150-299: Risk of illness is

moderate (reduced by 30% from the
above risk).

Score <150: Only have a slight risk

of illness.
 Stress- Positive and negative

 Affects each of us differently

 Some thrive under stress and others wilt
 40% of turnover is due to stress
 60% of accidents on the job are stress related
 Employees working 11 hours a day or more were 67% more
likely to have a heart attack

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 How do you know you are out of balance?
13 emotional and personal symptoms
Physical,

 Physical: Headaches, upset stomach, sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, muscle

tension, fatigue, heart palpitations
 Emotional: Feeling depressed, anxious, angry, or powerless. Feeling irritable and
have difficulty making decisions
 Personal: Missed opportunities to spend time with friends and family, feeling job
burnout, isolated. Self medicating with alcohol or drugs
14

How to improve your

work-life balance
 15 Identifying sources of stress

 Identify the sources of stress at work

 Amount of work and deadlines
 Relationships with others
 Office politics
 Ongoing change

 Identify the sources of stress in your life outside of work

 Relationships/marriage/children
 Financial
 Too many commitments
 16 Stress management techniques
 Positive self-talk

 Emergency stress stoppers

 Deep breaths and/or count to ten before you speak
 Walk away and/or go for a walk

 Find your joy

 Listen to music
 Take a class or read

 Practice relaxation
Source: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/StressManagement/FourWaystoDealWithStress/Four-Ways-to-Deal-with-Stress_UCM_307996_Article.jsp
 How to improve work-life balance
Five17
areas of focus

 Manage your time, set limits and learn to say “No”

 Unplug when you leave work
 Take ALL of your vacation time
 Talk to others about your stress level and lean on your support system when

you are especially stressed

 Resolve to take better care of yourself; get physical activity, eat well and get

an adequate amount of sleep

 18
 Marissa Mayer, Yahoo! CEO
9 successful people who prove
 John Donahoe, Former President & CEO, eBay
you should use your vacation time
 Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder (400+ companies)

 “Maintaining focus on having fun isn’t just about rest and recuperation: When you go on vacation, your routine is interrupted; the
places you go and the new people you meet can inspire you in unexpected ways. As an entrepreneur or business leader, if you didn’t
come back from your vacation with some ideas about how to shake things up, it’s time to consider making some changes.
 I make sure that I disconnect by leaving my smartphone at home or in the hotel room for as long as possible — days, if I can —
and bringing a notepad and pen with me instead. Freed from the daily stresses of my working life, I find that I am more likely to
have new insights into old problems and other flashes of inspiration.”

 Michelle Obama, First Lady

 Tony Schwartz, The Energy Project, CEO
 Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO
 Jim Moffatt, Deloitte Consulting Division, CEO
 JJ Ramberg host of MSNBC’s Your Business and co-founder of philanthropy organization GoodSearch
 Sarah Michelle Gellar, Actress

 Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/04/successful-people-vacations_n_3941344.html
 19 The key word is balance

 Stop doing the things that aren’t working

 Find the right balance that works for you
 Focus on your small successes
 20

Creating a culture that

supports work-life
balance
 New value system

OLD NEW

• LIVE to work • Work to LIVE

• INDIVIDUAL achievement • GROUP oriented
• CORNER office • FLEXIBLE schedules/social media
• PRESTIGE • GIVING BACK

Source: Intelligence Group – Cassandra Report; 2013

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Work/life balance is now…
Source: Intelligence Group – Cassandra Report; 2013

Work/life integration

88% of Gen Ys prefer

Work/life integration vs.
Work/life balance

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23 Workplace flexibility overview
What is workplace flexibility?

 A business strategy that allows workers to make choices about core aspects of their
work related to:

 Time – when and how long work is performed

 Place – where work is performed

 Task – the specific tasks that are performed

 24 Why workplace flexibility … why
Workplace flexibility is good talent strategy

 now?
A broader talent pool
 National even global – not local or even regional

 Buy in
 Employees want to prove a flexible work arrangement can be successful and thus are highly
motivated

 Increased morale
 Studies show that organizations that offer workplace flexibility have less absenteeism and
turnover, and higher levels of engagement and productivity.

 Value added
 Truly engaged employees do not leave the job behind when they are off the clock. They carry
their work and current projects with them 24/7.
Changes
Building the business case
25 as a result of telecommuting

Productivity 26% 67% 8%

Absenteeism Rates 5% 62% 32%

0% 100%
Increased Remained the Same Decreased

Source: SHRM 2014 – Overview of Workplace Flexibility

26 Types of flexible work
arrangements
Flexible Work Arrangements

Flex time
Description

Choose starting and finishing times

Compressed work week Work fewer than five days but still the
same weekly hours
Telecommuting Working somewhere other than the
corporate office/company building
Regular part time Work hours less than 40

Job sharing Share a full time job with another

employee
Phased retirement Allowing older employees to remain
employed in a different manner and
status
Leaves and sabbatical Authorized periods of time off (usually
extended)
 27 Workplace flexibility prevalence
Teleworking, flex time and part-time schedules continue to top the list.

2010 2015
1 Telework on an ad hoc basis 83% 85%
2 Flex time (flexible start/start times) 84% 82%
3 Part time schedules 84% 82%
4 Phased return from leave 59% 56%
5 Telework on a regular, monthly basis (at least 1 day per month) 58% 56%
6 Telework on a regular, weekly bases (at least 1 day per week) 57% 53%
7 Compressed workweek (e.g. 4/10, 3/12) 52% 48%
8 Telework full time 37% 34%
9 Phased retirement 27% 30%
10 Job share 27% 21%

Source: Trends in Workplace Flexibility (WorldatWork, 2015)

 28 Workplace Continuum
Non-Existent
 Flexibility is rarely used,
if at all, and is not viewed
as an important element in
attracting, motivating and
retaining employees, nor
achieving organizational
success
 Flexibility is viewed as a
special perk, if allowed at
all
flexibility
Inconsistent
 Some formal programs
and policies, but they are
not widely applied
 Some departments use
flexible work
arrangements, but their
use is inconsistent and not
organization-wide
 Flexibility options are
limited and may still be
viewed as a special perk
Strategic
 Flexibility is strategic and
viewed as an essential
organization success, and
is widely used around the
organization
 However, formalities in
the process or policy may
limit the use of flexibility
Deeply Embedded
 The concept of workplace
flexibility is part of our
organization’s culture
 There is universal access
to flexibility and it is
integrated into the
everyday work
environment
 Employees feel free to
request flexibility as
needed and managers are
encouraged to be
“flexible” as they work in
partnership with
employees to find
solutions that lead to
employee and
organizational success
 29 Business case
 Through telecommuting, Aetna cut 2.7 million square feet of office space for about
$78 million in cost savings a year

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/us-yahoo-telecommuting-aetna-idUSBRE92006820130301
 30 Bottom line results
Employees are happier and healthier

 Improved nutrition
 Greater control over food choices
 Access to a full kitchen = healthier eating
 No social pressure to eat out

 Better physical health

 Less exposure to germs
 Ability to get up and move around 
 Increased access to natural light

http://www.momcorps.com/press-room/blog/blog/2015/11/03/3-health-benefits-of-working-remotely

31 Bottom line results
Employees are happier and healthier

 Decreased job stress

 Long commutes, toxic co-workers,
continual interruptions and an "always
on" work environment are a recipe for
one thing: STRESS. 

 Improved sleep – with a zero commute

time many workers are able to sleep in.
 Turning up flexibility for the summer

One day off per week

 Ex: School districts closing administrative offices
during summer Fridays (to save energy costs)

Compressed workweek
 Ex: 80 hours/9 days with every other Friday off

Source: 2015 Employee Benefits Report (SHRM) Early closing on Friday/shortened work day(s)
 Example: Paid half day Fridays from Memorial day
to Labor day

Change in core hours/schedule/shift  

About 14% of organizations offer “seasonal scheduling”

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Impact of summer schedules

Profound effect on employee morale –

tells your workers that you care about
them and their families
 Many employees take fewer vacation days as a
result of having longer weekends/more flexible
schedules

Can help offset negativity related to

program elimination, lack of merit and/or
bonuses
 Extra time off is a great perk at low cost

Serves as differentiator/incentive in
attracting talent

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Summary

 Identify your stressors

 Commit to making one small change

 Use you influence in the workplace to provide more flexibility for

your employees

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Thank you

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